Below are the text of an email of mine to Tony Palliser re Gurney's Pitta
and his reply.This is an environmental and ornithological catastrophe!
Can't we do something about this?
John Penhallurick
Tony,
Seeing your name reminded me that Niels Dreyer had said that you know about
a disaster affecting Gurney's Pitta. That a Danish Conservation group had
pulled out, and that in order to get access to the land in the reserve, the
farmers were paying the guards to kill the Pittas, and that numbers were
down to five pairs. Can you confirm this?
Thanks,
John Penhallurick
>Date: 12 Apr 99 11:35:53 +1000
>From: "Tony PALLISER" <>
>To:
>Subject: Re: Gurney's Pitta
>X-Orcl-Application:
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>
>John,
>I too have heard the rumour that conservation groups have now pulled
>out of the area, having given up the battle to protect this species.
>Last count that I heard was quoted in a UK magazine (I think) as that
>yes Numbers may be down to as low as five pairs.
>
>What really bugs me is that no one seems to care? Even the birding
>community seems to have put this in the too hard basket. It disturbs
>me greatly, the situation is so very depressing and unnecessary. With
>proper management this species could have been saved. Gurneys Pitta
>does not even need fully intact rainforest as it lives in secondary
>growth at the edges of forest too.
>
>I cannot confirm corruption of the type you mention, but it would not
>suprise me at all. The entire area is now a write off. I have been
>there three times in recent years and each time it gets a LOT WORSE
>than the previous year. The forest has dwindled so much it brings
>tears to your eyes and most disturbing hunting is rife. When I was
>there in 1997 I saw hunters in the forest everyday and gun shots
>were going off with depressing regularity and no one was doing
>anything about this. To top this farmers are burning the secondary
>growth as fast as they can and more and more tracks are being made
>through the tiny bit of forest that is left.
>
>I cannot tell you how depressed I feel about the situation. I am sure
>that Phil Round will have a lot more information. I just shake
>thinking about it. What can we do? This is after all the BEST BIRD
>in the world.
>
>
>
>
>
>Regards
>Tony Palliser
>**********************************************************
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>
>Date: 12 Apr 99 12:19:26
>From:John Penhallurick <>
>To:
>Subject:Gurney's Pitta
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>Tony,
>Seeing your name reminded me that Niels Dreyer had said that you know about
>a disaster affecting Gurney's Pitta. That a Danish Conservation group had
>pulled out, and that in order to get access to the land in the reserve, the
>farmers were paying the guards to kill the Pittas, and that numbers were
>down to five pairs. Can you confirm this?
>
>Thanks,
>
>John Penhallurick
>
>
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